Thermal treatment bag



April 1 1924.

A. c. EGGERS THERMAL TREATMENT BAG Filed July 20, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 um/M01 Anion Ciyyenr v 5% hid/ alto (Mu; I 7

April 1,. 1924. 1,488,743

A. c EGGERS v THERMAL TREATMENT BAG Fi July 20, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I lflllllllllllm;

5] wuemoz Anton afyye v Patented Apr. 1, W241.

rates ANTON C. EGGERS, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE GOODYEAR/S INDIA RUBBER GLOVE MFG. 00., A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

THERIEAL TREATMENT BAG.

Application filed July 20, 1921. Serial No. 486,209.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANTON C. Eeenns, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Thermal Treatment Bag, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a thermal treat ment bag, such as is used for the application of heat or cold to the body.

The beneficial effect of the application of heat or cold to parts of the body in the treatment of various ills has long been recognized, and the use of the ordinary forms of hot water and ice bags has become common both in homes and hospitals. Various special forms of bags have also been developed for the local treatment of certain parts of the body, and these special forms have come to be very largely used, in hospitals in particular. Many of these special forms of bag are intended to be folded or wrapped around the part of the body to be treated, such as the throat or a limb, and some form of fastening or retaining means is ordinarily used with them, such as strings or tapes, elastic bands, clasps, and straps. In hospital use particularly it is essential above all that the bags be applied or removed with the greatest possible speed and that they be free from any complicated fastenings which would be liable to get out of order. In the use of strings or tape for fastening they are liable to become knotted in use and thus cause considerable trouble in removing them, particularly if the strings have become wet. The elastic bands quickly lose their elasticity and become worthless, and moreover if made short enough to cause the bag to engage the part of the body to be treated, such as the neck, there is difficulty in stretching them sufficiently to put the bag over the head of the patient when applying or removing it. In the case of both string and snap fasteners, if adjusted so that the bag will closely engage the portion of the body to be treated, as is necessary, they cannot give with movements of the patient and therefore are more or less uncomfortable. In my prior Patent No. 750,104, January 19, 1904:, I have disclosed a thermal treatment bag, more particularly adapted for use around the neck, in which the bag is held in place by a leaf spring of a crescent shape which is secured outer side of the bag, and the efiiciency of I the bag is thereby diminished. This bag is also rather expensive to manufacture.

An object of my invention is to provide an improved bag for thermal treatment of the body.

Another object is to provide a thermal treatment bag which can be applied or removed in minimum time, is self-adjusting, and which can be worn with the greatest possible comfort.

Still another object is to provide an attaching means for a thermal treatment bag which is simple, cannot readily break or get out of order, is easily replaced when damaged, .and can be quickly applied to or removed from the bag.

For a detailed disclosure of the invention reference is had to the accompanying speci-- fication and drawings, in which latter:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating one form of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan of a modified form;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the form shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective of a slight modification of the form shown in Fig. 1;

5 is a bottom view of the form shown in Fig. 4:;

Fig. 6 is a perspective of a modified form of bag attaching means;

Fig. 7 is a broken away perspective illustrating a modification of the manner in which the attaching device is held to the s; Fig. 8 is a broken away perspective of another modification of the means for securing the attaching device to the bag; and

Fig. 9 is a broken away perspective similar to Fig. 8 showing another means for attaching the device shown in Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawings the numeral 1 designates the body of a thermal treatment bag of crescent shape, in the present instance more particularly designed for use as an icebag for the throat, which bag can be constructed in any usual manner from flexible vulcanizable material, such as sheet rubber or fabric coated with rubber. The bag is provided with the usual filler neclr 2 adjacent its middle portion and with a filler cap 3, while pockets 4: of flexible vulcanizable material are formed on its outer wall and extend from its ends some distance toward the filler neck. To aid in retaining the shape of the bag and also to conform it closely to the body portionto be treated, a spring member 5 is provided, which in the form shown in Figs. 1, 4 and 5, is composed of an endless piece of spring wire doubled on itself and then bent into a curved or crescent shape, the doubled wire being curved outwardly at an intermediate point, as shown at 6. To apply the wire to the bag all that is necessary is to spring outwardly its curved ends, insert them in the pockets 4 and then draw the spring into contact with the outer wall of the bag, its. curved portions 6 bein sprung around the filler neck 2.

In t e form shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the bag 7 is made relatively narrow and long, and instead of being curved is flattened, and on its outer wall and extending from each end are the pockets 8 for the reception or the spring member, such as the spring 5 previously described. Upon the insertion of a spring, member in the pockets 8 the bag will, of course, be bent into a curved shape so that it may readily be applied to the neclr or a limb.

' The form shown in Figs. l and 5 is provided with a body 1, filler neck 2, and closure 3, in all respects similar to the bag shown in Fig. 1, but the pockets 9 on the outer wall extend only a short distance from the ends of the bag, and in order to assist in retaining the spring 5 in position one or more straps or loops 10 are provided at each side of the bag.

In Fig. 6 a modified form or" spring member is shown, which may be made of a fiat strip 11 of metal or other suitable resilient material bent into the curved shape shown,

the middle portion 12 of the spring being enlarged laterally and provided with a cen tral opening 13 adapted to fit around the filler neck of a bag. Z lhisi rm of spring may besubstituted for the spring 5 in any 01" the forms of bag previously described.

In the modification shown in Fig. 7 the spring member 14; is in the shape 01 a wire similar in all respects to the spring 5, but instead of being detaehably connected to the bag it is enclosed in a small tube 15 of vulcanizable material which is integrally united to the wall of the bag 16 during vulcanization.

In the form shown in Fig. 8 the spring member 17 is also similar to the spring 5, but it is integrally connected to the wall of rounding the filler neclr.

the bag 18 by being enclosed between the plies thereof during the building up process. ln Fig. 9 a further modification is shown in which a fiat spring member 19, in all respects similar b0 the spring 11, is integrally connected to the all of the bag 20 by being enclosed between the plies thereof in the building up process. For cheapness, however, the built in fern. of fiat spring may be made in two pieces ri eted or otherwise secured to opposite sides of tllQ filler neck.

in the use or any of the forms or my invention having a detachable springretaining means, the ends oi the spring are disposed in the pockets at the ends of the bag with the middle portion of the spring sur- Due to the elasticity of the spring the ends of the bag may be sprung apart in order to fit it around the portion or the body to be created, such as the threat or a limb, and upon release of the bag ends the spring member will tend to close, thereby retaining the inner wall of the bag inclose contact with the body portion to be treated, while at the same time allowing the ends of the bag to yield and open or close slightly following any movements of the wearer. As the inner wall of the bag is flexible it can be worn by emaciated or nervous patients without the slightest discomfort and will closely conform to the body while at the same time yielding whenever necessary. in addition when used as an ice bag, as the ice melts the spring member on its outer wall tends to contract the bag, thereby maintaining the ice constantly in contact with the inner wall. The action of the forms shown in Figs. 7 to 9 is similar in all respects to that of the forms just described, the only diil erence being that the spring-conforming means is integrally .at tached to the bag. will be noted in all the forms of the invention in 'whieh a wire spring is used, whether this is detachable or fixedly secured to the bag, the curved porticns 6 of the wire encircling the base of the filler neck 2 aid in securing the spring in position. Any other suitable means may be used, however, for properly positioning the spring with respect to the filler neck.

lt will be seen that by my invention a thermal treatment bag has been provided which is simple, can be applied or removed with the greatest possibl speed, and which can be worn with a maximum of comfort. In the case or" the forms using a detachable spring the spring member is easily and quickly applied to or removed from the bag, the spring is not easily damaged or broken, and in case of injury it can be readily replaced at small cost. d/"nile in the present instance the spring-retaining means has been shown as disposed on the outer wall of the bags, it is evident that it can also be placed on either of the side walls, the essential beent is:

1. In a device of the character described, a flexible bag having free ends and adapted to be disposed around a body portion, and means carried by the exterior wall of the bag for automatically conforming it to the body portion.

2. Means for thermally treating portions of the body comprising a curved bag having free ends, the inner wall of the bag being adapted to contact with the body portion to be treated, and resilient means coacting with the outer wall of the bag for clamping the bag in position.

3. In a device of the character described, a crescent shaped flexible bag, and a resilient member substantially coextensive with its outer wall and tending to bring together the ends of the crescent.

4. In a device for thermally treating portions of the body, a curved flexible bag having free ends, the inner flexible wall of the bag being adapted to contact with the body portion to be treated, and a resilient shape retaining means carried by a wall of said bag in spaced relation to the inner wall.

5. In a device for thermally treating portions of the body, a flexible bag or vulcanizable material, a curved resilient member for retaining it in contact with the body, and means for detachably securing said member to the periphery of the bag.

6. In a device for thermally treating portions of the body, a crescent shaped flexible bag of vulcanizable material, the inner wall of which is adapted to contact with the body portion to be treated, a curved spring mem ber adapted to contact with the outer wall of the bag and tending to contract the bag at its free ends, and means carried by the outer wall of the bag for detachably securing the spring member to the bag.

7. In a device for thermally treating portions of the body, a crescent shaped flexible bag of vulcanizable material, the inner Wall of which is adapted to contact with the body portion to be treated, a complementary spring adapted to contact with the outer wall of the bag and tending to contract the bag at its free ends, and spring retaining pockets disposed on the outer wall of the bag.

8. In a device for thermally treating portions of the body, a flexible bag of vulcanizable material adapted to be disposed around the body portion to be treated, a filling neck on the outer wall of the bag, an open ended curved spring encircling said neck and substantially coextensive in length with said outer Wall, and means carried by said outer wall for detachably securing the spring thereto.

9. In a device for thermally treating por-' tions of the body, a flexible bag of vulcanizable material adapted to be disposed around the body portion to be treated, a filling neck on the outer wall of thebag, a curved spring for resiliently retaining the bag in contact with said body portion, said spring including means whereby its intermediate portion may be held in proper relation to the filling neck, and means whereby the spring end portions may be held in position on the outer Wall.

10. In a device for thermally treating portions of the body, a flexible bag of vulcanizable material adapted to be disposed around the body portion to be treated, a filling neck on an exterior wall of the bag, a curved doubled wire spring for conforming said bag to the body portion, said spring being provided at its intermediate portion with means whereby it may be held in proper relation to the filling neck and having the double wire spaced apart on its free end portions, and means whereby the spaced wire may be held'in' position on said wall.

Signed at Naugatuck, Conn, this 17th day of June, 1921.

ANTON O. EGGERS. 

